Uprooted — Voices of Tamil Dispossession and Resilience
Published in late September and now available on Amazon, Uprooted explores the displacement of Sri Lanka’s Tamil people through the voices of those who lived it — thirty-four individuals across the globe who, while retaining a strong Tamil identity, have also made remarkable contributions to the societies they now call home.
Structured across nine thematic categories — Artists; Writers & Journalists; Humanitarians & Human Rights Defenders; Survivors & Storytellers; Social Activists; Educators & Scientists; Politicians; Culinary Champions; and Sporting Heroes — the book offers an intimate portrait of lives shaped by loss, resilience, and renewal.
At a time when migration and multiculturalism are at the forefront of public discussion, Uprooted provides a deeply human perspective on what it means to rebuild and belong. By allowing those uprooted and those born in exile to tell their own stories, the book brings authenticity and depth to a history often distorted by demonisation and geopolitics. The credibility of its contributors — individuals respected within both the Tamil community and the wider society — lends further weight to this narrative of dispossession and hope.
The book was first launched in Melbourne on 28 September 2025, where sales exceeded the number of attendees — a reflection of the strong interest it has generated. Book release event: https://youtu.be/VWtw7DyFbI8?si=NpKFu56K2ajmKMwt
A second launch in Sydney on 2 November was an engaging and thought-provoking event, featuring reviews by Shankari Chandran (Winner of the 2023 Myles Franklin Award) and Meena Bjork, whose insights are sparked lively discussion on wide ranging topics that included identity, multiculturalism, Tamil exceptionalism and immigration.
Uprooted stands as both testimony and tribute — affirming that, even in displacement, identity and creativity endure.
Typing “Uprooted by Ana Pararajasingham” on the Amazon website will bring the book up.
About the Author
Ana Pararajasingham is an independent researcher and writer with a longstanding interest in justice, displacement, and identity—issues that have shaped both his personal journey and professional work.
In 2005, he edited Sri Lanka: Ground Realities. From 2007 to 2009, he served as Director of Programmes at the Centre for Just Peace and Democracy (CJPD), a Switzerland-based action-research centre. During his tenure, he authored Sri Lanka’s Endangered Peace Process and the Way Forward (2007) and edited Sri Lanka: 60 Years of “Independence” and Beyond (2009).
In 2019, he published Sri Lanka: A Victor’s Peace, a collection of essays originally featured in international journals and newspapers during the decade following the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war.
Between 1990 and 2007, he was an Office Bearer with the Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA), serving first as Secretary and later as Chairman.
He lives in Sydney, Australia.
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- Publisher : Monitor Publications
- Publication date : September 10, 2025
- Language : English
- Print length : 295 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0648672263
- ISBN-13 : 978-0648672265
- Item Weight : 1.32 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.67 x 9 inches
